By Ramkumar Seshu, Author of Born to Win – Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita

𝗔𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻, 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮.

And if there’s one truth we’ve seen repeated in boardrooms, shop floors, and start-ups alike, it’s this:

Unhappiness at work quietly drains even the brightest minds.

It isn’t always about poor market conditions or tough competition — often, it’s about something much more human. When people lose their sense of joy, belonging, and meaning, organizations begin to bleed — talent, trust, and profits.

Through the lens of hundreds of leadership journeys we’ve facilitated, we’ve learned that happiness at work is not just a feel-good factor. It’s a business multiplier.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝘆

Not long ago, a CEO from a reputed IT services company in Bangalore reached out to us with a familiar concern.

“𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦,” he said. “𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 — 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

When we visited their office, the problem revealed itself without a single word. The workspace was functional, but lifeless. People were efficient, but not engaged. There was silence where there should have been spark.

The issue wasn’t infrastructure or strategy — it was leadership that had lost touch with one of its greatest responsibilities: creating happiness.

Gallup research underscores this truth: 75% of the reasons people quit trace back to their managers.¹

In our experience, that means people don’t leave companies — they leave unhappy environments shaped by unaware leadership.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗥𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀

When workplaces lack joy, the costs aren’t just emotional — they’re financial, and they run deep.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗺

Replacing talent costs far more than most leaders estimate.

Research shows that replacing a mid-level employee can cost up to 20% of their annual salary, and for senior roles, as high as 213%.²

That means losing a ₹10-lakh manager may silently cost another ₹2 lakhs. A ₹30-lakh leader? Over ₹6 lakhs. And this doesn’t account for the lost productivity, learning curve, or team disruption.

Beyond numbers, though, lies the true loss — the departure of engaged, passionate individuals who no longer find happiness where they once gave their best.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

In our Winning to Lead programs, leaders often realize just how much energy and creativity lie dormant in unhappy teams.

One leader, Aparna, implemented our “I Can, You Can, We Can” approach — a simple yet powerful framework built on recognition, empowerment, and open communication. Within months, her team’s productivity rose — but more importantly, people rediscovered their smiles.

Joy returned, and with it came commitment, creativity, and collaboration.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲

Unhappy workplaces are silent innovation killers.

When fear replaces freedom, ideas dry up.

One of our client leaders, Anand, led a technically gifted team that rarely contributed fresh ideas. Through coaching, he discovered that his leadership style — though well-meaning — had created hesitation and fear of failure.

Once he began building a happier, psychologically safe environment, ideas began to flow again. The same team that once held back went on to save the company ₹50 lakhs in process innovations.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝘆

Over the years, we’ve seen a consistent pattern: when leaders consciously create happiness, organizations transform.

It’s not just about retention or productivity — it’s about culture. It’s about energy. It’s about people who want to give their best every single day.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀

Harvard Business Review reports that companies that invest in leadership development see revenue grow by 35%.³

But in our experience, when leadership development is anchored in happiness, engagement, and inner confidence — the results go far beyond financial growth. They ripple across the organization, touching every relationship, every decision, every outcome.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀

Our programs — Winning to Lead and Inspire & Win — are built around one foundational belief: happiness is a leadership responsibility.

We help leaders move through three levels of transformation:

• “I Can” Leaders – Leaders who first discover their own inner strength and clarity. Confidence and calm are contagious.

• “You Can” Cultures – Workplaces where people are recognized, trusted, and empowered to grow. Happiness becomes natural here.

• “We Can” Teams – Teams that collaborate with shared purpose and celebrate collective success. This is where joy meets performance.

𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

Every organization faces a choice:

Continue losing silently to attrition, burnout, and disengagement — or create a culture of happiness that drives both performance and purpose.

At Born to Win, we’ve witnessed transformations that go far beyond metrics. Teams rediscover meaning. Leaders reconnect with their people. Workplaces turn into communities.

And the ripple effect? Productivity rises, innovation flourishes, and trust becomes your greatest competitive advantage.

So we invite you to pause and reflect —

Are your people working for you, or with you?

Is your workplace built on process, or on purpose?

Because in our experience, the cost of unhappiness is always higher than the investment in joy.

And when happiness becomes your leadership strategy, growth follows naturally.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

Gallup (2024) – “42% of Employee Turnover Is Preventable but Often Ignored.” Read here

Center for American Progress (2012) – “There Are Significant Business Costs to Replacing Employees.” Read here

Harvard Business Review (2022) – “How L&D Leaders Can Prove the ROI of Leadership Training.” Read here

𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲

At Born to Win, we don’t just train leaders — we partner with them to create workplaces where happiness and high performance go hand in hand.

If your organization is ready to rediscover joy at work, let’s begin a conversation that could transform everything that follows.

Born to Win – Building Happy, High-Performing Workplaces Across India